


Pride

by Prester_John



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Imprisonment
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2016-07-08
Packaged: 2018-07-22 10:23:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7432654
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Prester_John/pseuds/Prester_John
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What if Lionheart's Wife had been one of the Nighthowler Victims?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pride

Leodore Lionheart had never heard the sound of tranquillizer rifles before.

He'd never had to, even when he was a cub, he'd lived in Downtown, safe thanks to his family name. He'd never seen the Happytown Riots, only reading about them in the paper afterwards. He'd never been in person when his "pacification squads" had taken down the mammals going savage. He'd never been in the line of danger.

Now the ZPD was raiding Cliffside Asylum, and he could barely hear the quiet chuffs of air as dart after dart was fired into the pacification squads, and into the savage predators.

He knew why they were here. Part of him even knew they were right to be... but still, he couldn't give up. He looked at the security cameras, trying to figure out a route, ignoring Doctor Badger as she panicked... There, he could make it. If he ran.

\---

"Do you really have to go to this charity event?" Liane felt her husband's arms drape over her as she put on her top. He was practically insatiable today. "The office of mayor does have some perks. We could always send Bellwether, spend the whole day in bed." She sighed, trying to ignore the way he kissed her neck, even as it sent lightning down her back.

"You can't rely on Dawn to solve all your problems, Leodore." She looked at herself in the mirror, smiling as she saw Leodore pouting: He always pretended to sulk to get his own way. And it never worked. "You've got that meeting with Bogo at lunchtime as well, to talk about the Mammal Inclusion Initiative."

He gave a dismissal wave as he pulled back. "And I'm sure he'd rather be getting work done. He knows as well as I do it's just a vote grabber; it's not like we'll be getting a sloth working as an auctioneer or anything." Leodore chuckled slightly, obviously picturing it in his head. Liane rolled her eyes.

"To you it's a vote grabber; to the people of Zootopia it's got to be more. "Quis Potest esse quidquid," after all." Leodore sat back onto the bed, groaning at the motto. 

"You sound like that singer. It's not that easy Liane. You think people look at me, look at us, and see more than a lion? To them we're predators." He waved his hand around the room at the portraits of his ancestors. "This is a democracy, I'm mayor because they voted for me. But do you really think they actually trust us?"

Liane sat down next to him, something was irritating him, like a tick right between the shoulder blades. "So what, you think out there there's a ravening hoard waiting to chase us off because they think we're dangerous?" She laughed, but stopped when his expression didn't soften. The idea was meant to be ridiculous, but... "Tell me Leo. What's wrong?"

"I... I can't Liane. Not yet. Not until I know exactly what it is." He stood up, and scratched his back, as if Liane's metaphor had been literal. "All right, you're talking sense. Go to the charity event, what was it, a school opening in Tundratown?" She nodded, she could see his muscles tense. He was stressed, no matter how much work he'd given Bellwether, he'd certainly been taking his fair share of it too.

"Afterwards, we can take the night off," he smiled, sincerely happy at her words, "but make sure you talk with Bogo. There's every chance you might find some good cops in unlikely places." Leodore nodded, and helped her off the bed. They shared a hug, and went to face the day.

\---

The alarms were sounding. Leodore knew what had happened, there was only one member of the ZPD small enough to have escaped his pacification squads earlier that night. Only one who'd have been stupid enough to risk everything like this. "Good cops in unlikely places," that was how Liane had put it. 

At the moment, Leodore hated the idea of good cops. If Bogo had been less of a stickler for rules, if that bunny had been less of a go-getter -- if there'd been people he could have bribed at the ZPD; if anything had been different, he wouldn't be sneaking around corners like a scavenger, trying to stay out of sight.

Still, he was getting closer to the second cell block. While most of the preds had been lumped together, one had gotten a cell of her very own.

\---

"You sure you want to go through with this? That's a school down there."

Bellwether pinched the bridge of her muzzle with her hooves as she responded to her chattering phone: "That's the idea Doug. There's no way they'd be able to hide something like that from the news. A pred going savage there, it'd be on every paper, every ticker, every channel from here to Roarlando."

"Still, but... they're kids. And there's some sheep down there..." Doug sounded like he was having second thoughts. Of course he was, Dawn reflected. There was a difference between shooting predators, letting their instincts run wild; and doing so when there were children at stake.

"Okay," she relented, "We'll wait until afterwards. When she's getting back into the limo maybe. You think you could hit her then?"

"No problem." She could hear the relief in his voice. A damn shame he'd gotten cold hooves, no one was a better sniper than Doug. But sometimes they didn't realise that her needs, the needs of Zootopia... they outweighed anything else.

"Anyway, why her?" Bellwether frowned. Doug didn't usually ask questions like this. Was he getting soft? "I mean, I see you together on the news all the time. Assistant Mayor Bellwether and Liane Lionheart, the beauty behind the Mayor. I thought you liked her. She liked you."

"She never liked me!" Bellwether practically shouted into her phone. She looked around her "office," but no one was there of course. No one ever visited her in this damp prison cell of an office.

\---

Leodore opened the door to the darkened hallway. The emergency lights hadn't kicked in here, they were on a different circuit. He'd wanted to know exactly when this place was in danger, as he walked over to the single occupied cell.

There she was, curled up on the bed; sleeping peacefully like a kitten. Leodore put his paw up to the glass. He knew that if she was awake she'd be stalking around her cell. Pacing, looking for weaknesses, looking for prey.

\---

"WHERE IS SHE!" Lionheart roared at Doctor Madeline Badger, as he charged into the asylum.

"Uh, we're just processing her now. I called as soon as I realised who it was." She stepped back; she'd never seen him look so angry, so emotional, so... savage.

"Take. Me. To. Her." Two wolves of the pacification squad had raised their guns behind his back. It'd be career suicide to fire of course, but they were trained to react to dangerous mammals. And right now, Mayor Lionheart was as dangerous as any of their charges.

Madeline made a small movement, trying not to alert the mayor, and the two wolves lowered their guns. "We've had a special cell prepared. I knew it would be what you wanted." She started jogging further into the asylum, and Lionheart followed, his heavy strides easily matching her jog.

"What I want is my wife back!" His voice was more controlled now, although she knew that could change at any time. Especially once he saw her.

"I know, I know. And we're still looking for a cure." She led him to the second cell block, two more wolves wheeling a gurney into the cell. On it lay Liane Lionheart, wearing a few tattered shreds of clothing. For some reason all of those who'd gone savage had tried to tear off their own clothing. It was one of the more curious mysteries.

Lionheart rushed over to the gurney, almost shoving a wolf out of the way as he did so. "Oh Liane." He brushed her face with his paw. "What happened to you..."

"She can't, uh, hear you. The sedative is quite powerful, she's just sleeping now." Madeline shuffled over as all of them entered the cell.

"I know that you numbskull!" Lionheart covered his eyes with his paw. "Sorry Doctor, its... can you leave me with her? I just want to spend a little time with her while I can."

"That's not wise sir, she could be... all right," Lionheart looked shattered, like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. Lionheart picked up his wife's body, carrying it over to the bed. Madeline and the wolves wheeled out the gurney. "But when she wakes up, you leave."

"I understand doctor." The glass door shut, leaving him alone with his wife, gently stroking her fur.

\---

Leodore went over to the keypad. He knew the code off by heart. Their wedding anniversary. He'd always prentened to forget, just so he could surprise her with a gift. And now... there'd be no more anniversaries. No more quiet dinners at home, no more lavish galas. He could no longer treat her like the princess he deserved to be.

The door gently opened, and he crept inside. He didn't want to wake her, not after last time; he rubbed his muzzle, the scars she'd inflicted still stung. Shutting the door, he went to sit by her on the bed, gently stroking her fur.

"Oh Liana, what am I going to do. My career is going to be finished, and Doctor Badger thinks it's genetic." He shut his eyes. Even if she woke up now, he didn't care. He didn't care if she tore him to pieces, it wasn't like his heart wasn't already torn in two.

"Our kittens will need looking after. Both mother and father in small cells." He chuckled, without humour or warmth. "Maybe I can ask Smellwether to do it. She practically runs enough of my life already." He heard the door of the cell block open. Bogo probably, or that bunny super-cop. He ignored it to continue talking.

"They've been asking after you, you know. Wanting to know when you'll be back from your trip." He risked opening an eye, she still hadn't moved. "The nannies deserve a raise. And now... and now they'll know it was all a lie. A father who broke the law. A mother who can't even speak any more..."

"Mayor Lionheart," It was Bogo, his voice was as final as a tombstone, "You've got to come with us."

"I'm not leaving her."

"You know that when she wakes up, she'll kill you." Bogo was waiting by the door as another ZPD member, a hippo, was working the keypad.

"And if I'm not here when she wakes up, it'll kill me."

Bogo sighed as he covered his face with his hooves. "No, it'll just feel like that. And then, when we've worked out a cure, she'll come visit you in jail." A gentle click as the hippo got the door open. Bogo pushed it forwards, stepped in as he drew a dart gun.

One shot. If Leodore jumped, Bogo would have no choice to fire and the dart would hit him. Liane could run, she could be free...

A roar.

A jump.

A gentle chuff of air.

Bogo looked at Lionheart, and lifted them onto his shoulder. "I wish it didn't have to be this way sir."

Leodore was speechless. Before he could move, Liane had jumped. Gone for Bogo instead of him. Had she been awake?

He got up, and started to follow Bogo. He didn't resist when he they cuffed him. Even as he gave his protests about how he'd been trying to protect everyone that thought was running through his head.

He hadn't protected Liane when it came down to it.

She'd protected him.

**Author's Note:**

> References notes:
> 
> "Quis Potest esse quidquid" - This is a terrible Latin translation of "Anyone can be Anything," Zootopia's motto.
> 
> The end of the conversation between Bellwether and Doug is pure Rocky Horror. Still a brilliant bit of theatre.


End file.
